re: Plane that departed Gonzales has crashed in Tennessee.

Dad joined the Marines during WWII as a pilot and flew for 32 years (including tours of Vietnam and Korea). He flew helicopters, jets, amphibians, multi-engine props. Had a ton of hours. When he retired, he bought a Cessna 172, Easy plane to get in and out of, and as he said "he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere."

Some kid did his test for his private pilot's license. The kid thought it was hilarious.

Without fail, Dad would always inspect the plane from the outside, and he would go through his checklist without exception.